BHAM: Bread & Roses for All, and Hormones Too!

TRANSFEMINIST DEMANDS ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT TO THE DEMANDS OF CIS-CENTRED FEMINISM.

Trans women, just like cis women, are in desperate need of the expansion of their rights regarding their bodily autonomy, access to healthcare, and reproductive justice.

Trans and cis feminist struggles are interwoven and share the same antagonists. In both cis and trans experiences, health is always a broader concept than the crudely medical. Whilst trans health and wellbeing can and does incorporate hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgeries, provision for biological reproduction impeded by these processes, and so on; it also extends to protection from violence, homicide and suicide, and material action to make all trans lives more livable and foster the conditions for their flourishing.

Cis and trans women, along with all trans people who experience misogyny, must strike together for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice for all.

In this meeting we will discuss the interwoven nature of our struggles. How the struggles for abortion rights relates to trans struggles for healthcare provision and other reproductive rights. The difficulties faced by trans women seeking to establish networks of solidarity both within and beyond state infrastructures.

How are we affected by structures of oppression such as race, class, immigration status and ability?
How are we nourished by black feminist, queer and anti-capitalist perspectives and analysis?
How are trans people creating autonomous communities of care?
How can a broadened feminism learn from and contribute to these practices?

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Pearce (she/her) is an activist and academic currently based in Leeds. Her work explores issues of inequality, marginalisation, power and political struggle from a trans feminist perspective. She also plays bass and shouts in punk bands Not Right and Dispute Settlement Mechanism. Ruth’s first book, "Understanding Trans Health: Discourse, Power and Possibility", will be published by Policy Press in the summer of 2018. She blogs at http://ruthpearce.net.

Aquila Edwards (she/her) Co-founder of TranSpectrum (a trans safe space, community led) budding speaker, podcaster, music tutor and BlaQueer trans activist.

Luke Dukinfield (they/them) spent most of their formative political years as a free education/anti-cuts/anti-fascist activist after becoming radicalized at university. now working a shit job at sainsbury's and exploring the possibilities of worker organizing in retail and service-sector jobs. They’re a member of Unite and also a regular contributor at Novara Media and blog at queercommunist45.wordpress.com. Some main interests of theirs include envisioning a trans-inclusive communism, Marxist analyses of mental health, identity and the state, and direct action.

Facilitated by Robyn Lynch (she/her)

Please sign up on the Eventbrite! Food will be provided for free. Please let us know if you need childcare by e-mailing feministactionbrum@riseup.net.